Squad update: Still working on recovering from their respective long-term injuries, Amos Pieper (broken ankle), Leon Opitz (ruptured ankle ligament) and Milos Veljkovic (knee problems) will all miss Friday’s game. Niklas Stark will be out for a few weeks due to hip problems, and Naby Keïta is ill.
Ole Werner on the opposition: “They’ve found their feet and have brought even more pace into their game, as they were missing one or two of their key players last time. They sit a bit deeper and don’t commit too many players forward. Appointing a new head coach will certainly have given them a new lease of life, which has been clear to see over the past few weeks. They rose to the challenge in their last couple of games, and were rewarded for that with points. They’ve now gone three games unbeaten, which will make Friday that little bit more difficult for us.”
Looking to make history on the road
Previous meetings: The head-to-head record between the two sides couldn’t be any more even. Both teams have come out on top 36 times in their 99 previous Bundesliga encounters. The remaining 27 games were all stalemates. SVW ran out as 2-1 winners when the clubs clashed earlier on in the season. Former SVW striker Davie Selke gave Köln the lead, before goals from Rafael Borré and super sub Justin Njinmah secured a win in Bremen for Werder.
New manager bounce: The arrival of Timo Schultz as Köln’s new head coach has steadied the ship in the Domstadt. In the five games they’ve played under their new head coach, the Billy Goats have won once, drawn on three occasions and have only been defeated once. They’ve already picked up six points under Schultz’s stewardship, whereas they only had ten to their name after the first half of the season.
A new record?: SV Werder Bremen have never won more than three away games in a row throughout their 125-year history. The last time the Green-Whites picked up three consecutive wins on the road was back in 2020, when Florian Kohfeldt was in charge of SVW. Werder also have the chance to keep three clean sheets away from home for the first time in 18 years.
Looking to make history on the road
Previous meetings: The head-to-head record between the two sides couldn’t be any more even. Both teams have come out on top 36 times in their 99 previous Bundesliga encounters. The remaining 27 games were all stalemates. SVW ran out as 2-1 winners when the clubs clashed earlier on in the season. Former SVW striker Davie Selke gave Köln the lead, before goals from Rafael Borré and super sub Justin Njinmah secured a win in Bremen for Werder.
New manager bounce: The arrival of Timo Schultz as Köln’s new head coach has steadied the ship in the Domstadt. In the five games they’ve played under their new head coach, the Billy Goats have won once, drawn on three occasions and have only been defeated once. They’ve already picked up six points under Schultz’s stewardship, whereas they only had ten to their name after the first half of the season.
A new record?: SV Werder Bremen have never won more than three away games in a row throughout their 125-year history. The last time the Green-Whites picked up three consecutive wins on the road was back in 2020, when Florian Kohfeldt was in charge of SVW. Werder also have the chance to keep three clean sheets away from home for the first time in 18 years.